


Courters & Kisses

by musikat18



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Also kisses, F/M, Love Letters, Valentine's Day, but it's cute, cute ones, everyone is dense, fluffy af
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 06:50:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16849189
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/musikat18/pseuds/musikat18
Summary: You're a scribe of Asgard, and certainly not one to seek attention, not even from the warrior that's caught your eye. When he comes to you for help getting a letter to a mysterious love for the recently-imported Valentine's Day, maybe he's not as out-of-reach than you thought.





	Courters & Kisses

Truthfully, you’d never given much thought to Prince Thor’s attempts to bring Midgardian traditions to Asgard. You were a scribe and a writer; Midgardian traditions were an interest, but nothing much to fuss over, although you could at least tell that Prince Thor’s Midgardian woman had snapped him out of the recent funk he’d been in over Loki’s grand betrayal of the kingdom.

At the very least, this festival in particular gave you a little more business than usual. Valentine’s Day, the young prince had called it when he explained it to you. Midgardians exchanged gifts and letters with those they held dear, be it a lover or a friend or a family member or simply a random act of kindness.

Most every Asgardian could read and write, but you were known for your scribe services and neat calligraphy. Often, you would record mandates from King Odin or pass on messages for the masses, but for festivals such as this new one, you had become a source of specialized letters and cards, decorated for the occasion.

You didn’t regret the extra work, of course, although sometimes your heart ached seeing all the happy couples while you always went home alone.

(You shuddered at the idea of attending feasts and large parties. The quill was your strong suit-- not social gatherings.)

There was a sturdy knock at your door, and when you opened it, you were almost surprised to see one of the lesser-known warriors of Asgard standing behind it: Skurge.

Like you, he seemed to keep to himself, if only to flirt with the occasional maiden. Ruggedly handsome and broad-shouldered with soft hazel eyes making a lovely contrast to his harsh frame, you understood where the attraction came from, but you didn’t know him well enough to decide for yourself what your opinion of him was.

“Skurge,” you bowed your head for a moment and allowed him in. “How may I assist you?”

“Are you still taking orders for those valentine things?”

You nodded, “I’m nearly booked up, considering the celebration is next week, though I am still taking orders.”

“Alright...I need a letter for...someone,” he said. You settled back at your desk, tilting your head at his strangely tense demeanor.

“Like, a Valentine’s letter? For who?”

“...I’d rather not say, yet,” he shifted his weight to the other side. “I just want to know if you’ll do it.”

“Of course I will,” you said. “I just want to know what you want it to say and what kind of embellishments you want on it.” He pursed his lips and avoided your gaze.

“Well…” he measured his words, “I don’t...know a lot about her.” You furrowed your brow, which seemed to coax an explanation out of him, “She’s not very talkative...keeps to herself a lot. I haven’t quite figured how to win her over, so I was hoping you’d be able to help me write it.”

This was a new request. Usually, people came in with long, gushing odes that needed severe retooling for any reasonable price to be applied, but you’d never been requested to help author one before.

“You do realize I’ve never been courted by anyone,” you said bluntly. “I’m probably the last person who knows how to actually author an entire love letter.”

“I just...think you’ll have the best intuition about her. You two seem awfully similar,” he reasoned, “and I’ll pay handsomely.”

“You really don’t have to pay that much for it,” you offered. “I wouldn’t want to charge you any more than I would for any other work.”

Skurge dropped a heavy bag of gold on your desk, and he turned pleading puppy eyes on you.

“I’d do anything for this person,” he said seriously. “I want to make sure it’ll be perfect.”

Temptation crashed over you like a wave (whether it was from his piercing gaze or the promise of a good profit, you weren’t sure), but you took only the proper proportion of currency from the bag and pushed the rest back at the tall man.

“Gather as much information as you can about your love and come to me tomorrow,” you promised. “I will come prepared to draft something then.”

He gave you a grateful smile that fluttered your insides in an unfamiliar way, bowed his head, and left with the remainder of his money.

-

“You have nothing?” you raised your eyebrows at him when he returned the next day. “Not one scrap of personality or interest?”

“I don’t talk to her on a daily basis,” he grumbled. “It would be hard to broach the matter without giving my intentions away, and I’ve only spoken with her once before today.”

You were more than a little frustrated at the lack of information to go on, but you kept your cool and moved on to the next best question.

“Alright...what about...uhm...what do you know about her, exactly? Anything beyond appearance and being on the reserved side?”

He pulled up a chair and sat in it, crossing his arms over the frame of the back so that he could lean towards you while speaking, “She’s never been courted before...I learned that rather recently.”

“Well, I can at least relate to that,” you said with a dry laugh. “Let’s start there. She likely might not be receptive, if she hasn’t had this kind of experience before. You might have to convince her that your intentions are true.”

He shifted nervously at your comment, so you chewed your lip as you tried to put a positive spin on it.

“I think it should describe what’s drawn you to her...how serious is this letter going to be?”

“...I want her to know just how beautiful and special I think she is,” he gave you those sweetly sincere eyes again. “I just think she might feel overlooked, so I want her to know she hasn’t been...that someone does actually want to get to know her.”

You smiled warmly at him, “Then that’s what we’re going to do. Let me get my drafting paper and we can get started.”

He gave you a confident smile that you had only seen him give maidens of the court before as you pulled out a scroll to begin drafting ideas.

You had to hand it to Skurge; he seemed to be a very attentive admirer, even if it was in secret. You’d never pegged him as the type to notice the shine in a lady’s hair or the kindness in her eyes when she performed a selfless errand or the simple pleasure she seemed to take while sitting alone in a small garden. If she didn’t seem so agreeable, you might have been jealous of the reverence he appeared to hold for her.

When you finished a draft based on his words, you passed him the scroll to look over. A soft smile spread across his face as he scanned the parchment; it was a pleasant expression of his that was much nicer than you might not have expected of him before.

“It’s perfect,” he said. 

“I just wrote as if it was for myself,” you shrugged. “There was certainly a lot about this secret woman of yours that I could relate to easily enough to write something.”

“Ah, yes,” he shifted his weight backwards, dipping his head slightly. “I’m...glad that is came to you with such ease. Do you think it will be done by Valentine’s?”

“Certainly,” you nodded. “Return to me the morn of the festival and I’ll make sure you have it in time to deliver it to her. She’s very lucky, you know, to have such a thoughtful suitor.”

You thought you saw a blush on the warrior’s cheeks, “I hope she feels the same when I reveal myself to her.”

Skurge turned and left without much more to say, and you began work on your many projects for the celebration at hand.

Even though it wasn’t you he was seeking to impress, you’d be happy for him nonetheless.

-

You had barely had time to start sorting out the areas of the city to deliver letters and cards to on the morning of the Valentine festivities when there was a knock at your shop’s door; you weren’t as surprised, this time, to find Skurge there, holding a large bouquet of flowers, likely one of the breeds Prince Thor had discovered on Midgard.

“Is it ready?” he asked, stepping inside when you allowed him in. You nodded and sifted through your pile.

“You never gave me a recipient, so I planned on delivering it to you in the barracks if you didn’t come by now.”

It didn’t take you long to find the embellished letter you had written as per Skurge’s request. You had copied it onto a sturdier parchment with a magically gilded black ink, the letters neatly curving along the page in your neat penmanship. You had even sketched a delicate rose along the top of the letter, the rich red paint standing out beautifully on the tastefully yellowed parchment. You passed the letter to Skurge, and he looked positively pleased with how it had turned out.

“It’s perfect,” he said. “I’m sure she’ll love it.”

To your surprise, instead of turning to leave and make his delivery, Skurge held out the flowers and the letter to you with a shy smile.

You, being the creature of social grace that you were, blinked stupidly, “...Pardon?”

His face fell slightly as he took in your confusion, “I...this was meant for you. I...I thought you might have figured it out.”

You continued spilling rather dumb and obvious statements from your mouth, “I...no, I didn’t. I- I just assumed...they’re never for me. I don’t...I’m not...it can’t be for me.”

“No, no, it is,” he insisted, placing his flowers and letter on your desk and looking rather sheepish. “I just...I’m not...words are...not my strong suit. I had absolutely no idea what to say to you...so...I figured...who better to write a letter for you than...you?”

For once, you had absolutely no words.

“We’ve barely ever spoken face-to-face,” you whispered. “I mean, sure, you’ve always been an impressive warrior...I...I’m just not the type to...I’ve never done this before.”

“You...intrigue me,” he admitted quietly, placing a gentle hand on your cheek to bring your eyes to his. “If you don’t see me as a good fit for you, I completely understand...I just had to tell you...all I needed was the words…. I’m sorry if I’ve offended you.”

Little did he know, you were feeling quite the contrary. Your heart was beating loudly against your chest-- you hoped to Bor that he couldn’t hear it-- and you were mesmerized by the delicate blend of green and brown that made his eyes. 

“I, um,” you felt just as shy as he seemed to be, “I...wouldn’t be opposed to...perhaps trying. Pursuing a courtship, I mean. I don’t really know where to start, though.”

Skurge’s characteristic roguish confidence seemed to return as he smiled, “I could kiss you, if that’s what you wish.”

“I’ve never been courted. What makes you think I know how to kiss?”

“Then you need a teacher,” he suggested, and when you gave him a tiny nod of approval, he dipped his head down to meet yours, applying a gentle pressure to your lips. The sensation of butterflies overtook your stomach as a wave of bliss wracked your body, and you tentatively placed your hands on his muscled, armored shoulders. He slipped an arm around your waist, bringing you closer, and he tilted his head to deepen the kiss, facial hair scraping softly along your chin. The kiss only lasted a few sweet moments before he pulled away with a lovelorn smile, gazing into your eyes as you suddenly missed the subtle lines of his lips on yours.

“...We can do that again later, right?” you gushed shyly. “After I make my rounds? I’m sorry, I feel like that was horrible.”

“It was perfect,” he assured you, “and if that is what you want, there’s no reason for there to not be more later.”

He kissed your cheek once more and promised to return later, leaving you giddy and alight, running your fingers over your lips before going back to sorting your deliveries for the day.

A first kiss and a surprise admirer? You were beginning to rather like this Midgardian holiday.


End file.
